Design recommendations for Pharmacogenomics Clinical Decision Support Systems

Abstract

The use of pharmacogenomics (PGx)in clinical practice is still facing several challenges in reaching full adoption. PGx is an emerging field that aims to deploy genetic information to target drug therapy. To incorporate this science into clinical practice, many support the use of Pharmacogenomics Clinical Decision Support Systems (PGx-CDS) for medication prescriptions. This interest emerged with the new guidelines developed to incorporate genetics to optimize drug dosage and reduce adverse events. In my thesis, I investigate the development of PGx-CDS to (1) identify challenges and barriers of the implementation of PGx-CDS in clinical settings, (2) develop a new design approach of CDS with functional characteristics that can improve the adoption of Pharmacogenomics guidelines and improve patient safety, and (3) create design guidelines and recommendations. Through this work, I aim to study the implementation of PGx-CDS and develop design features that can overcome the challenges of its adoption in clinical settings.